It wasn’t so long ago that the majority of internet users would connect via dial-up modem. Back in those days, download managers were a necessity since there was nothing worse than spending days downloading a file, only for it to be interrupted because someone picked up the phone in another room. Nowadays, with widespread access to high-speed internet and the fact that browsers have become a lot smarter over the years in resuming unfinished downloads, download managers have all but faded into obscurity.

But the light hasn’t gone out completely for download managers and one such app, Folx, does more than simply download files. After spending a few days with it, I’ve found myself remembering why download managers were just so useful.

In OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple introduced Launchpad. Launchpad is widely seen by many as an early attempt by Apple to slowly introduce elements of iOS into OS X. Although a valiant attempt by Apple, many noticed all of the flaws within Launchpad immediately. The biggest concern with Launchpad is the lack of customization and what the user can change. Well now, independent developers are picking up where Apple left off.

Launchpad Manager is the genius creation of Attila Miklosi; its concept is to add increased functionality to an almost useless Launchpad. Launchpad Manager comes in two flavors, free and pro. The Pro version will set you back $7.99 but it will add cool features like group organizing, layout saving, and more! The developer has provided us with the pro version for review, so lets get to it! (more…)

Managing your various accounts, passwords, IDs and other sensitive data is a tricky situation. You want it to be both accessible and secure, two goals that are by nature at odds with each other.

Today we’re going to give you a sneak peek at Dashlane, an app that promises to simplify this process and help you manage and use your information while keeping it safe from prying eyes. It’s a tall order so let’s see if this app can make good on its promise.

These days, there are a vast number of apps that aim to help you handle your tasks and get things done. Most of them, however, have far too many features that nobody would ever use, and cost too much for the ordinary consumer. People don’t need a huge interface full of icons, they just want a quick way to jot down their tasks for the day.

Todoozle could well be the solution. With a simple and intuitive interface, it couldn’t be easier to use. But does too much simplicity compromise its functionality, or is less really more? Read on to find out.

Chikoo is, simply put, a file manager. In fact, Chikoo pegs itself as a “simple file organizer for the Mac.” Chikoo can handle any file type you throw at it. You can add and edit the files’ metadata to your heart’s content. You can organize the files in lists and folders of lists. You can easily view the files with Quick Look. Chikoo is a cross between OS X’s Finder and iTunes.

If you’ve got a desktop littered with documents, unable to ever find the one specific file at the right specific time, Chikoo may be exactly what you need. Join us after the jump as we take a closer look!

ClipMenu is an incredibly neat little app that we’ve mentioned in several recent articles here on AppStorm. However, we’ve never given it a proper review and wanted to take the time to show you just how cool it is.

If you’ve downloaded ClipMenu before and only given it a brief try, there is a lot of functionality that you might have missed. Below we’ll walk you through the full feature set so you can be sure to take full advantage of all that the application does.

There was a time when having a download manager made a real difference to one’s experience of using the internet. There are places where this is still true. A few years ago, I spent a month in a remote part of India, where I struggled to top 2k download speeds with my laptop’s modem connecting via a fixed line. I literally waited an hour some days just to download a morning’s email.

A download manager wouldn’t have helped all that much with those messages, but it would have made a huge difference if I had wanted to download any software, music or video files.

That’s the most common use of a download manager: pausing and restarting downloads, scheduling them for later in the day, perhaps after you’ve gone to bed, so that massive download can be ready and waiting in the morning. There are now a number of download managers that can do a whole lot more than this. Speed Download has been the big-hitter for a long time, but (though I bought a licence for the app) I’ve never got along with it.

Recently, I’ve switched over to using Leech, which makes no claim to being as powerful, but turns out to be an excellent, lightweight option that might just do everything you need.

We’ve previously covered a range of complex task managers for the Mac, but what if you’re looking for something much simpler? Today I’ll be investigating a number of basic to-do list applications that can help with managing a straight-forward set of tasks.

Most are desktop applications, but a few are really fantastic web apps combined with a site specific browser called Fluid. As the New Year rolls in, these should offer a great place to store that list of goals and aims for 2010!